That day, the thick layers of clouds that had been there since morning blocked out the sun.

Nevertheless, the delivery room was enveloped with a coiling heat.

‘You’ll be fine.’

The nurse, Iida Youko, repeated those words to the pregnant woman like they were a spell.

Her forehead was covered in sweat and her pale blue veins stuck out from her skin. She was clenching her teeth as she contorted her body.

She was desperately withstanding a bone-jarring pain.

Youko wanted to relieve her pain, even if it was only by a little. While rubbing the pregnant woman’s back, they performed the Lamaze breathing technique together.

'Haa, haa, haa.’

It had already been some time since she had come to the delivery room. It was a considerably difficult birth.

The pregnant woman’s eyes were already vacant.

Wasn’t it better in some situations to switch to obstetric analgesia?

Youko looked at the doctor, Kinoshita Eiichi.

'The head’s out. Just a bit more,’ said Kinoshita, quelling Youko’s thought.

'Now, just a bit more – do your best.’

Youko spoke while patting the pregnant woman’s shoulders. Though her face was slack from the pain, she nodded.

'Don’t push. Relax.’

'Please relax.’

Youko repeated Kinoshita’s words.

The pregnant woman was breathing painfully with tears in her eyes.

'OK! The baby’s out!’

Just as Kinoshita said that, the cry of a healthy baby echoed through the delivery room.

'Aah!’

The pregnant woman’s breathing still sounded painful, but she let out a cry of relief and joy.

'Congratulations. From today on, you’re a mother.’

Youko smiled at the woman and wiped the swept off her forehead.

The woman might not have heard, since she didn’t reply and just regulated her rough breathing with a relaxed expression on her face.

It had been a difficult birth, but this was a relief. Just when Youko thought that, Kinoshita spoke up.

'Bring a penlight.’

Though Kinoshita’s tone was definitely not wild, there was a tinge of impatience and nervousness.

Youko immediately handed the penlight on the operation table to Kinoshita.

'Ha – ’

The moment she saw the baby’s face, Youko unconsciously swallowed her breath.

She couldn’t believe what she saw in front of her.

'Don’t react. The mother’s here,’ muttered Kinoshita.

At those words, Youko regained her calm.

However, that moment of panic reached the mother.

'My baby,’ she gasped.

Her expression was exuding anxiety.

'Please wait a bit longer.’

'How is my baby?’

Youko approached the mother and spoke while patting her body.

However, she couldn’t stop her anxiety.

'Where? Where is my baby?’

The mother gripped Youko’s arms with her fingernails.

'It’s fine. Everything’s fine.’

Youko tried to calm down the mother while bearing with the pain, but there was no effect.

Youko could feel the mother’s growing anxiety through her skin.

'My baby. Is my baby safe?’

The mother looked like a demon.

Youko ended up looking away without thinking under that pressure. She shouldn’t have done that.

'My baby!’ shrieked the mother, thrusting Youko away.

'He’s fine. He’s a healthy baby.’

The one who replied was Kinoshita.

Kinoshita took off his mask and slowly walked towards the mother with the baby in his arms.

The mother’s franticness disappeared and her expression changed into a gentle smile for her child, whom she had just seen for the first time.

Youko immediately walked towards Kinoshita and whispered in his ear.

'Is this really OK?’

'It can’t be hidden forever.’

Kinoshita’s expression stiffened.

It was just as he said. It couldn’t be hidden forever. She would find out eventually. It was just a matter of when.

'Go ahead.’

Kinoshita brought the baby to the mother’s chest.

'Ah, my baby.’

The mother took her baby and hugged him tightly, looking blissful as tears rolled down her cheeks.

Then –

With a smile, she peered at her child’s face.

The mother’s expression went cold in an instant.

'Noooo!’

That bitter cry echoed through the delivery room.

Youko bit her lip and put her hands together in front of her chest, struggling with pessimism as she thought about the new-born baby’s future.

The baby had been born with his left eye open.

That eye glowed red like a blazing flame –

At the edge of the university campus, there was a forest.

Since the campus had been built on a hill, it wasn’t strange.

Deep in that forest, there was a one-storey concrete building.

Nobody knew what it had been built for.

Now, it was just a deserted building.

Since it was deep in the forest, many students wouldn’t notice it was there at all if they lived normal student lives.

There had long been rumours that ghosts appeared in that deserted building.

Someone claimed to have spotted a figure near that deserted building, but the figure had suddenly disappeared when chased. Another person said that they’d heard a pitiful cry of ‘Save me, save me’ when they passed the deserted building. Somebody else said that it wasn’t 'Save me’ but a curse: 'I’ll kill you.’

There was more to the rumours of this deserted building.

In the very back of the building, there was a locked room behind an iron door.

Nobody knew what was inside. The reason was that nobody who had seen it ever returned –

1

Because of the strong, dry wind, the clouds had all floated away by noon.

The pale moon could easily be seen.

It was a full moon –

Somebody had once said that moonlight absorbed noise. The night was so quiet that that nonsense seemed believable.

Miki, Kazuhiko and Yuuichi had been drinking at a bar when they missed the last train. Now, they were thinking of a way to spend the time before the first train.

Then, the topic of the rumour spreading across campus came up.

The three of them knew about the rumour, but none of them had ever checked it out.

'Let’s go see if that rumour’s true,’ said Miki.

Kazuhiko and Yuuchi agreed to Miki’s suggestion. They ended up sneaking into the university at night.

They climbed over the mesh fence, passed the back of the school building and went into the forest.

They pushed their way through the branches on a trackless path.

It felt like a little adventure.

The path was much harder to walk than Miki had imagined.

When they reached the deserted building, she was covered in sweat and she had sobered up. Miki had lost her initial energy and was starting to regret her decision.

The building had one storey with a flat roof and was built out of concrete. It felt cold – rather than a building, it was more like a clump of concrete had just been left there.

'Since we’ve come all this way, let’s take a photo to commemorate this,’ said Yuuichi.

Kazuhiko took the camera first and took a photo with the deserted building as a backdrop. The pale light of the flash made Yuuichi’s shadow appear on the dark wall of the deserted building.

Next, Yuuichi took the camera. Kazuhiko and Miki stood next to each other and turned towards him with a smile.

The flash lit up again.

Clunk!

There was the sound of metal hitting metal.

Miki’s shoulders jolted in her surprise.

'Did you hear something just now?’

Miki looked around. Kazuhiko and Yuuichi held their breath as they looked around and listened.

Rustle.

All they heard was the sound of branches shaking in the wind.

'Can’t hear anything.’

Yuuichi put his hand to his ear.

'What? You’re the one who suggested this, but you’re scared now?’ said Kazuhiko coolly.

Miki glared at Kazuhiko sulkily.

'I’m not scared.’

Miki walked to the entrance and tried the knob on the rusty iron door.

Next, Kazuhiko tried the knob, but it still wouldn’t open.

'For times like this, tada!’

Yuichi took a thin metal hook out of his trouser pocket.

'What’s that?’ asked Kazuhiko.

'Well, just look. Ah, Kazu, give me some light with your lighter.’

Kazuhiko lit up his lighter as asked and put it near the doorknob. Yuuichi stood in front of the door, knelt down and put the metal tool he had taken out earlier into the keyhole.

'What are you doing?’

'Now, now.’

A few minutes after Yuuichi started grappling with the doorknob, he stood up and turned it.

Creak.

There was the sound of metal scraping against metal as the door opened.

'You’re amazing!’ said Kazuhiko, sounding impressed.

'Anybody could do this with the right tools.’

Yuuichi rubbed at his nose, seeming proud.

'Where’d you get something like that?’

'Online. I’ll give you the URL later so you can take a look.’

Kazuhiko and Yuuichi went inside with no hesitation.

Since Miki didn’t want to be left by herself, she hurriedly followed them.

The cold wind from outside blew inside, lifting the dust that had gathered on the floor. The building was warm in comparison to how it felt outside, but it was so dark it was difficult to see her fingers.

Kazuhiko lit his lighter, but the small, flickering flame wasn’t of much use so they couldn’t see the inside of the building.

For a moment, a pale light flashed and lit up the room.

Miki jumped in surprise at that light. Yuuichi smirked when he saw how frightened Miki was. Yuuichi had used the flash on the camera.

'I’m going home,’ said Miki.

'What? You scared?’ said Kazuhiko and Yuuichi at the same time.

'B-but I feel like somebody’s watching me.’

Miki clung to Kazuhiko’s arm, as if trying to hide.

For a while, the three of them looked around in the dark. Nothing was there but the complete darkness that covered the room.

'It’s fine. Nothing to worry about.’

After Kazuhiko said that to Miki, he started walking slowly by the walls.

'Hey, protect me.’

Miki tugged at Kazuhiko’s arm.

'Yeah, leave it to me.’

Kazuhiko casually patted Miki on the shoulder and then started walking again.

They passed through the room right at the entrance and went down the corridor.

The corridor was narrow enough for people to bump shoulders. On both sides, there were evenly spaced doors with windows. Behind those doors were rooms of about four tatami in size.

In each room, there was one bed, and nothing else.

The three of them walked along the walls to the locked room in question.

The room was at the end of the corridor.

It was an incredibly eerie room. The metal door looked heavy, clearly different from the other rooms. There was an observation window with iron bars. Besides the normal lock, the doorknob was bound to the pipe that went up the wall with chains and had a combination padlock.

'Can’t open this,’ grumbled Yuuichi.

'What’s inside?’ Kazuhiko peered into the room through the window.

'See anything?’

'Nothing. Can’t make anything out in the dark.’

The moment Kazuhiko gave up –

Rustle.

Something moved in the dark. In the very corner of the room, where the shadows were darkest.

What was there? Kazuhiko stared at it.

Eyes!

Kazuhiko’s eyes met with the eyes of whatever was in the dark.

The eyes in the dark were unusually vivid. White, cloudy eyes. The blood vessels were showing. Eyes that were filled with hatred that felt like it would swallow everything up –

Kazuhiko screamed and jumped back, falling on his behind.

'What’s wrong? Is something there?’

When Miki called out to him, Kazuhiko opened and shut his mouth in his fright, but his breathing was erratic and he couldn’t speak.

There was just the sound of his raspy throat.

Kazuhiko managed to get up with Yuuichi’s help.

'Did you see something? Yuuichi asked.

Kazuhiko looked to the door.

Yuuichi looked also.

The next moment, Kazuhiko and Yuuichi lost their words.

From the gap between the bars of the window, a hand so pale it didn’t look like that of a living person reached out and suddenly gripped the shoulder of Miki, who had her back to the door.

Miki gasped.

Kazuhiko and Yuuichi were in front of her.

Then who was the person grabbing her shoulder?

She didn’t have the courage to turn around and check. The blood drained from Miki’s face.

She lost all her strength – she couldn’t even scream.

Miki reached out with a trembling hand to ask Kazuhiko and Yuuichi for help. However, Kazuhiko and Yuuichi couldn’t move from fear.

’… Please… save me…’

Miki spoke in a rasping voice. Yuuichi put his hand out towards Miki to try to pull Miki away from the door.

That moment.

Those eyes peered out again from the gap between the bars.

'Aaahhh!’

Kazuhiko and Yuuichi’s heads both went blank. They screamed and ran away without looking behind them.

'Wait – don’t leave me by myself!’

Miki’s bitter cry didn’t leave her mouth.

This was only the beginning of the case –

2

After the morning lecture, Ozawa Haruka refused an invitation from a friend and left the classroom.

The wind was cold.

In just a rough outfit of skinny jeans and a grey parka, it was chilly, as was to be expected.

She regretted not wearing something warmer.

Since she had short hair, her neck felt especially cold.

Haruka was headed for the prefabricated two-storey building behind Building B in order to visit somebody introduced to her by Aizawa, an upperclassman from the orchestra circle.

There were a number of small four-and-a-half tatami rooms on the first and second floor which the university leant out to students for club and circle activities.

The room she was headed for was at the very end of the first floor.

Movie Research Circle.

Haruka checked the plate on the door and then knocked.

There was no response. She said, 'Hello,’ but the result was the same. She thought it was a bit rude, but she opened the door and peeked inside.

When she opened the door, her eyes immediately met those of the man sitting in front of her.

His skin was as white as porcelain.

He looked at her with half-closed eyes, as if he would fall asleep at any moment, and she found herself lost for words.

'E-er…’

'Could you close the door once you come in?’ said the man, interrupting Haruka.

She hurriedly went in and closed the door.

The man wore a white shirt with the first two buttons unfastened, so his chest showed through.

It was unclear whether he was showing it on purpose or he was just sloppy.

Judging by the hair as messy as a bird’s nest, it was probably just sloppiness.

Recently, the so-called bedhead hairstyle had been getting popular, but this man’s hair was clearly just bedhead.

Besides the man at the front, there were two other men in the room.

Those two men were looking at a playing card while hiding it from the man facing her.

It was the five of spades.

'Sorry, but could you sit down? I can’t concentrate.’

'Ah, yes.’

Haruka stepped away from the door and sat on the folding chair by the wall that the man gestured at.

Inside the room, other than the table, there was a fridge in the corner and a shelf next to it that had been covered with a cloth.

Rather than a clubroom, it felt more like somebody’s flat.

The man who had spoken earlier closed his eyes and pinched his brow with his fingers, like he was thinking. Finally, he opened his eyes and his red lips parted.

'The five of spades.’

He was right. Amazing!

The card that the men had been looking at earlier had definitely been the five of spades. Haruka couldn’t hide her surprise, while the men let out cries of dismay and threw the card on the table.

'Damn. You got us again.’

The men took thousand yen bills out of their pocket in a displeased manner, hit the table and left the clubroom.

'Please sit down. You have a request, don’t you?’

The man put the thousand yen bills in his shirt pocket and yawned as he spoke.

Haruka sat on the chair that the men had sat on earlier.

'Er, might you be Saitou Yakumo-san?’

'There’s no might about it – I am,’ the man responded.

This person is Saitou Yakumo –

Aizawa had told Haruka to consult Saitou Yakumo of the Movie Research Circle if she ever had to talk about something related to ghosts.

According to rumour, he could sense the supernatural and might be able to help with things of that nature.

To be honest, she had been dubious before coming here and hadn’t known what sort of ability he had.

However, there was the card from earlier.

Maybe he had read their minds or was clairvoyant, but he definitely appeared to have some sort of ability.

'So?’

Yakumo urged her to continue.

'The truth is, an upperclassman from my circle introduced me.’

'Who?’

'Aizawa-san.’

'Don’t recognise the name. Who is that?’

'Eh?’

That didn’t make sense. Since Aizawa had introduced Yakumo, she’d been sure that they knew each other.

'Well, it doesn’t matter who introduced you. Explain in a summary what you’ve come here for.’

'Um, er, my friend is in trouble. Saitou-san, I’ve heard that you were an expert on that sort of thing, so, er, I want you to help her…’

'You’ve summarised too much. I don’t understand at all. What is “that sort of thing”?’

'Ah, sorry. I’ll explain properly.’

'By the way, who are you?’

What an unpleasant guy –

This person’s expression hadn’t changed at all the whole time. He still looked sleepy. It was like he enjoyed seeing people all flustered.

'Ah, my name is Ozawa Haruka. I’m a second-year student at this university in the education department in the faculty of literature…’

'Just your name is fine.’

Yakumo waved his hand like he found her bothersome and stopped her words.

Her anger towards this unpleasant person was escalating.

'So what do you want?’

'The truth is, a few days ago, my friend Miki went to a deserted building on campus, since there was a rumour that ghosts appeared there. Then, it seems like she actually saw a ghost.’

'What sort of ghost?’

'I don’t know the details either. I didn’t go with her. She went with her boyfriend Kazuhiko and a friend called Yuuichi-kun.’

'So you came all this way to tell me a ghost story?’

'That’s not it. Ever since then, Miki’s been acting strange. She has a high fever and she’s been sleeping the whole time.’

'The cold going around recently is a frightful thing.’

'Like I said! Please listen until I’m finished!’

Unable to restrain her irritation, she spoke in a loud voice that even surprised herself.

However, Yakumo leant back on his chair, and his eyes still looked sleepy.

'So? What happened next?’

Yakumo urged her to continue, running a hand through his messy hair.

’… She isn’t just sleeping. She keeps on muttering things like “Save me” and “Let me out of here”.’

'And the doctor?’

'Of course a doctor’s been to see her, but besides the fever, apparently there’s nothing in particular wrong with her body… The doctor said it was probably something psychological.’

'Something psychological…’

Yakumo crossed his arms and leant on the back of the chair.

'She lives alone, so I contacted her parents, but the call didn’t go through… I don’t know what to do…’

She wanted to do something for her friend, but she didn’t know what to do in a situation like this.

Meanwhile, Miki was wasting away.

'So you want me to look into the matter since her condition might be related to the ghost she saw in that room?’

'Yes. I’ve heard that Saitou-san was an expert on that sort of thing.’

Yakumo took in a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling, like he was thinking about something.

'No good? Is that a no?’

Haruka looked at Yakumo’s expression with wide eyes.

'Twenty-five thousand yen. Tax included.’

'Eh? You’re asking for money?’

'Are we friends?’

'No, we aren’t.’

'Are we lovers?’

'Of course not.’

'So, money.’

'Why?’

'Wouldn’t it be strange for me to do something for you for free when we’re not friends or lovers?’

What he said was logical in a sense, but somehow, she couldn’t honestly accept it.

That said, she couldn’t just leave things like this.

'I understand. I’ll pay. I’ll pay, but please let me defer the payment.’

'Ten thousand yen up front. The remaining fifteen thousand yen after this is finished.’

Haruka took a thousand yen bill from her wallet and put it on the table.

Yakumo shook his head. Haruka took out another two thousand yen, but Yakumo shook his head again.

'You’re missing a digit.’

'That’s all I have on me right now.’

Haruka waved her empty wallet in front of Yakumo’s eyes.

'I understand. I’ll look into it,’ said Yakumo with a yawn, like there was nothing else he could do.

From the flow of the conversation up until now, she was dubious about whether he would actually look into it for her, but she had nobody else to rely on.

'Please contact me if you find something out.’

Haruka put a memo with her contact information on it on the table, stood up and put her hand on the doorknob.

This is –

She noticed something unbelievable.

Movie posters and photographs were stuck on the door.

In a gap between them, a pair of eyes and her own not very tall nose were reflected back at her.

It was a small mirror.

She’d been fooled.

'That playing card from earlier…’ said Haruka, turning around.

'I was almost tricked. When you guessed the number of the playing card earlier, you were cheating. The mirror on the door – from your position, you could’ve seen the number on the card… I see – that’s why you told me to move away from the door.’

Haruka said that all at once with a face red from anger.

How could he! She was angry at how stupid she was for believing in this person for even a moment. This was why her friends made fun of her for being naive.

'Correct. You’re the first person who’s seen through it.’

Yakumo said that nonchalantly, not ashamed at all as he clapped his hands.

'You’re the worst. Please give me back my money.’

'Why?’

'Don’t say “Why”. You tried to trick me out of my money. Please give it back.’

She couldn’t believe him. Taking advantage of a person’s weakness. She really felt that way.

'Don’t say something so rude.’

'What was rude about it?’

'I don’t plan on tricking you. I’ll give you back the full amount if I can’t save your friend.’

'How can I believe that?’

This man called Saitou – there was a limit to shamelessness.

'What can you do anyway? I came because I heard you had some sort of psychic ability, but aren’t you just cheating?’

'Who said I had some sort of psychic ability? I definitely didn’t. Just as you said, the thing with the playing card earlier was fraud.’

There was no reason for him to sound so proud as he said that.

'If you don’t have a psychic ability, how are you going to save Miki?’

'You’re free to choose whether to believe what I am about to say next or not. If you’ll believe me, then you can leave it to me. If you won’t, the exit is over there.’

Yakumo gestured at the door.

'I’ll give back your money too.’

Yakumo put three thousand yen bills on the table.

'I can see things that other people can’t.’

'Is this a riddle?’

'You can interpret it as you will. What’s the answer?’

'I don’t know.’

'The spirits of the dead.’

'Spirits?’

'To put it simply, ghosts.’

'That’s idiotic.’

'You’re the idiot.’

Yakumo pointed at Haruka.

Calling somebody he’d just met an idiot –

'But you said earlier you didn’t have any psychic ability…’

'I did. I don’t have a psychic ability. I can just see the spirits of the dead.’

'That’s the same thing.’

'It isn’t. It isn’t a psychic ability but a physical one.’

'Physical?’

He had been quibbling for a while – it felt like he was just trying to make the conversation confusing.

'For example, you wouldn’t call perfect pitch a psychic ability, right? You’d call it an ability they were born with or a talent… Anyway, I’m not clairvoyant and I can’t use telekinesis. I was just born with the ability to see the spirits of the dead.’

'If you’re going to say that much, can you prove it?’

'I don’t know whether this will count as proof, but there is a ghost in this room right now.’

Yakumo put his index finger between his well-shaped eyebrows.

She didn’t have to check – only the two of them were in here.

'You can’t trick me with that.’

'The ghost in here right now is your older sister. Your twin…’

'You’re lying.’

She shook her head. Her fingers were trembling.

'Yes, your sister. Her name is Ayaka. She died in a traffic accident at the age of seven.’

'How do you know…’

Her throat felt tight.

'I said so, didn’t I? I can see her.’

Even her childhood friends didn’t know that she had an older sister.

Then why did this person who she’d just met know? Rather than nonsensical, it was mysterious.

'You still think that your sister’s accident was your fault.’

That one sentence from Yakumo pierced deep into Haruka’s heart.

The blood left her face. Her head went blank – she felt like she might faint.

The ball that fell to the asphalt.

The sound of the car horn.

The deep red blood kept pouring out.

'Your sister ran into the road to catch the ball you threw. Then…’

'Stop… I… That isn’t… I didn’t think it would end up like that…’

Haruka shut her eyes tightly and covered her eyes.

– No matter how I yelled, my sister Ayaka didn’t move at all.

It was so sudden that I couldn’t cry or scream.

My palms were dyed red with the blood from my sister’s head.

Blood –

She could remember the wet feeling clearly. She had frantically tried to stop the blood, but it was no good.

She’d felt her sister Ayaka’s life disappearing from her hands.

'I see… So you threw the ball far away on purpose.’

'You’re wrong!’

Haruka lifted her head at Yakumo’s words and clenched her teeth.

Yakumo continued speaking regardless.

'You always missed the ball, but your older sister always caught it skilfully. So you threw the ball far away on purpose so your sister wouldn’t be able to catch it.’

'Stop it!’

Her hands were shaking. Her breathing was ragged.

Why? She had never talked about this to anyone. Nobody should have known about it. Her eyes were filled with tears even though she didn’t want to cry.

'Why are you doing this…’ asked Haruka in a hoarse voice, wiping her tears away with her fingers.

’…’

Yakumo didn’t reply to Haruka’s question.

After Haruka glanced at Yakumo, she picked up her bag and stood. She opened the door and tried to leave.

'If you don’t believe me, there’s more. Your sister says there’s something she regrets.’

'Regrets…’

'She was the one who hid your mother’s ring. Your mother got angry at you then. The ring was stuck to the top of a shoe cupboard with gum. She was going to confess, but she couldn’t say it…’

Haruka couldn’t breathe. The corners of her eyes felt hot.

'I…’

'Also, your sister said she doesn’t blame you,’ said Yakumo, interrupting Haruka’s words.

Doesn’t blame me? That’s ridiculous. I mean, it’s my fault that my sister –

She felt the urge to run away and fled from the room.

When Haruka reached the courtyard, she collapsed onto a bench.

The dry autumn wind made her short hair flutter.

The noise from the students passing by hurt her ears.

She looked down, covering her face with her hands.

The memories from her past – she had never talked to anybody about them before.

A man she had just met guessed everything right in such a cold manner.

She thought that she would be assaulted by unstoppable anger and humiliation, but that wasn’t actually the case.

It would be a lie if she said she didn’t feel that way at all.

However, her heart felt a bit lighter –

It was a mystery even to her why she felt that way.

Haruka took her mobile phone out of her bag and, after thinking for a while, punched in her parents’ phone number. After a number of rings, her mother Keiko answered.

'What is it?’

Her mother said that first thing.

'Nothing really. I just…’

'You’ve always been bad at lying. Something happened, right?’

Her mother saw right through her after just that.

Haruka felt like she’d cry if she talked at length.

'Hey, Mum. You lost your ring a while back, right? Back when Sis was still alive.’

'What is this all of a sudden?’

'Could you look at the top of the shoe cupboard?

'Why are you talking about that now?’

'Just go and look.’

'Fine, fine.’

Her mother sounded exasperated. Then, the hold tone started playing.

It was Chopin’s Farewell[1]. Her sister Ayaka had been good at piano. Her slender fingers appeared to dance as they played this song that even adults had difficulty with.

While I wasn’t good at music, not just piano. My rhythm was always off. I was always compared to my sister.

Not just for piano. Even for school and sports, I couldn’t beat my older sister.

When we were together, we were often mistaken for an older sister and her younger brother.

Part of it was because of my short hair, but we were completely different even though we were twins.

I had even thought that having my sister there was unpleasant.

And then that accident –

Just as Saitou had said, Haruka had thrown the ball far away on purpose.

She hadn’t thought it would end up like that.

When she saw her grieving parents, how could she live in a carefree manner?

She had lived with the fear that somebody would someday find out how her sister died.

'It was there. It really was there.’

Her mother’s voice from the phone brought Haruka back to reality.

'Haruka, so it really was you?’

'No, it was Sis.’

'Eh? What?’

Haruka hung up without answering her mother’s question.

I didn’t know where the ring was hidden.

So my sister really was –

3

Haruka knocked once more on the Movie Research Circle clubroom door.

When she opened the door and went inside, a paper aeroplane was circling about.

'What are you doing?’

'Throwing a paper aeroplane.’

The paper aeroplane made a wobbly landing at Haruka’ feet.

'I can tell just by looking. I’m asking why you’re doing it.’

Haruka picked up the landed plane. It was made out of a thousand yen bill.

'I was killing time until you came back.’

’…’

'Go ahead.’

Yakumo urged Haruka to sit.

Haruka put the plane she picked up on the table and then sat down.

'Could I ask you one thing?

Yakumo nodded as he stretched his arms behind him.

'This is the clubroom for the Movie Research Circle, right? Is there nobody in the club besides you, Saitou-san?’

'There isn’t. Since this is my room.’

'What do you mean?’ asked Haruka, raising a shapely eyebrow.

The conversation was advancing naturally, but she didn’t understand it.

'In the first place, the Movie Research Circle doesn’t exist.’

'But this is…’

'It’s simple. I went to the student affairs office, borrowed some student’s name and applied for a clubroom to make a circle. That’s all. It’s like a secret hiding place.’

'Aren’t you just using this room as your own?’

'Exactly.’

'You really are the worst – you’re even deceiving the university.’

'Ah, I’ll give you back your three thousand yen.’

Yakumo ignored Haruka’s objections and gestured at the thousand yen bills on the table.

'Because your trick was exposed?’

'You came back because you didn’t think it was a trick. Isn’t that right?’

She didn’t deny it, but his know-it-all tone irritated her.

'That’s…’

'It was there, right? Your mother’s ring.’

Yakumo crossed his arms behind his head and leant back on his chair.

'How do you know that?’ asked Haruka, her eyes wide in surprise.

Yakumo didn’t reply.

The way he stuck out his chin was like he was saying 'I’ve already explained it, right?’. But she couldn’t accept that.

'Please tell me.’

'Your sister told me.’

'Stop lying. A fraud like you is just saying you can see ghosts so you can trick people out of their money, right?’

Haruka leant forward as she said that, putting herself closer to Yakumo.

Yakumo tapped the table rhythmically with a long, white finger, as if he were considering something.

Finally, his finger stopped and his almond eyes looked right at Haruka.

'Then let’s do this. Let’s go to that deserted building together.’

'By together, do you mean me and you?’

'Who else would it be?’

'That’s true, but…’

This person keeps on –

'If you go with me, then you can tell whether I’m a fraud or not. Like with the mirror on the door.’

’…’

She couldn’t reply right away.

It was just a coincidence that she saw through the trick with the mirror on the door. There was no guarantee that she’d see through the next thing.

Haruka looked at Yakumo’s expression with her own black eyes.

She thought she’d be able to see through him if he was lying, but that was naive.

His eyes were still sleepy and he had his chin in his hand.

'Well, it doesn’t matter to me either way. To be honest, I don’t care at all what happens to your friend.’

Just from that one comment by Yakumo, Haruka made up her mind.

4

Yakumo wanted to meet up with Miki before they went to the deserted building.

At his request, Haruka brought Yakumo to the hospital Miki was in.

It was a twenty-minute walk from the university. After passing through the station and exiting from the north, the hospital was about two hundred metres down the main road.

While walking on the sidewalk, Haruka glanced at Yakumo’s profile.

He had a pencil-straight nose and sharp chin – he would probably be popular if he kept his mouth shut, but he had an unapproachable atmosphere to him.

'What?’

Yakumo looked at her coldly, like he had noticed her gaze.

'Can I ask you one thing?’

'Only one thing.’

'Can you exorcise spirits?’

'I can’t do something as handy as that.’

'Eh?’

Haruka was taken aback.

He was full of coincidence, but how did he plan to save Miki?

'I’ll say this again, but all I can do is see the spirits of the dead.’

'But you said you’d save my friend…’

'I might be able to save her. It’s an “if” situation,’ said Yakumo, as if it were completely obvious.

'That’s irresponsible. There’s no point to what we’re doing now then, right?’

'That isn’t true.’

'Why?’

'By seeing something, it means I understand that something is there. If I understand what is there, I can understand why. If I understand why, I might be able to remove the cause for it.’

She understood his logic.

However, she didn’t know what he meant specifically. She couldn’t imagine it at all.

While she was doing that, they arrived at the hospital.

She didn’t completely understand, but it seemed as if there was nothing to do but go with him.

The hospital was a four-storey building with white walls.

They passed the asphalt parking lot and wrote down their names in the visitors log as instructed by the nurse. Then, they took the elevator at the back of the waiting room.

'Could I ask you one thing too?’

Yakumo spoke just as the elevator doors closed.

'If it isn’t a rude question,’ replied Haruka guardedly.

'Three people went to that deserted building. How are the other two?’

'Kazuhiko and Yuuichi-kun were both so scared they ran away, but Yuuichi-kun realised at the campus exit that he’d separated from everyone and went back even though he was scared.’

'I see.’

'After getting back to the forest, he found Miki collapsed there… and then he carried Miki back.’

'Was she conscious then?’

Haruka shook her head.

'Miki wouldn’t wake up so he brought her right to the hospital. The next morning, Yuuichi-kun contacted me, and then I…’

'And how about Kazuhiko?’

'I don’t care about a guy like that. Even though he’s Miki’s boyfriend, he left her behind.’

'It’s not like I deserted her.’

As Yakumo said that, the elevator doors opened.

At Haruka’s instruction, they went down the corridor and stopped in front of the third hospital room. After knocking, they went inside.

It was a large room with four beds, but besides the bed in the front that Miki was sleeping in, the room was completely empty.

An IV catheter went along Miki’s arms.

It was probably for nutrients or something like that. Her eyes were open, but they were empty – they didn’t appear to be looking at anything.

There was sweat on her forehead and her face was pale. If Haruka didn’t hear the faint breathing – like air being let out of a balloon – there’d be no difference between Miki and a corpse.

'Even though she’s in this state, the doctor said there’s nothing in particular wrong with her body and that she was probably overworked from stress… Do you think somebody who was talking so cheerfully yesterday could end up like this?’

Haruka was agitated, but Yakumo didn’t seem to be listening.

He stood by the bed and gazed at Miki. There was a wrinkle between his well-defined eyebrows, and Yakumo’s eyes, which had been sleepy until now, were grim.

'Do you see something?’

Haruka spoke up, bewildered by Yakumo, who seemed like a completely different person.

'Who are you?’ murmured Yakumo.

’… ve me… Save me… Ple… a… se…’

Miki’s mouth opened, and out came a voice that sounded like the groan of a beast.

Yakumo leant over Miki and put his ear near her mouth.

’… Let me out… of here…’

Miki’s mouth moved again and spoke.

'Where are you now?’

Yakumo took Miki’s face in his hands and stared into her eyes. When Yakumo looked at Miki, her eyes seemed to move slightly.

’… I can’t see… Where am I… Let me out…’

'Where are you now? Tell me.’

Miki made no response. Her faint breathing turned ragged.

'No!’

Miki suddenly shrieked, threw her hands up towards the ceiling and arched her back.

What? What was happening?

While Haruka was confused, Miki dropped her arms, as if tired, and was as still as the dead.

Yakumo didn’t say anything. He just sighed and left the hospital room.

'Wait.’

Haruka hurriedly followed Yakumo out of the room.

Yakumo was leaning on the wall right outside of the hospital room and had a hand on the left side of his forehead and eye.

His breathing was ragged. His shoulders shook as if he were in pain.

'Are you all right?’

Haruka approached Yakumo and tried to look at his face, but Yakumo quickly fixed his posture and started walking, as if to avoid her.

His left hand was still against his forehead and eye.

'Does it hurt?’

Haruka chased after him.

'No.’

'I think it’d be better if you get that checked.’

'Shut up!’ Yakumo said sharply as he turned around.

A cold sweat was running down his forehead. His wide eyes were glaring at Haruka.

'W-what is it…’ said Haruka, accepting Yakumo’s pained gaze directly.

'There’d be no point in telling you.’

'You can’t know that until you tell me.’

'You ask too many questions.’

Yakumo started walking away quickly to get away from Haruka.

'Honestly! Just explain a bit,’ complained Haruka as she ran a bit to catch up to Yakumo.

'Hey, what’d you see in the hospital room?’ asked Haruka as they got into the elevator.

However, Yakumo didn’t reply.

He had his back against the elevator wall and crossed his arms, looking displeased.

Honestly –

'Why don’t you just tell me? You’re the one who told me to go with you, Saitou-san.’

'I regret it.’

Yakumo ran a hand through his hair and finally started an explanation.

'Your friend’s possessed by the ghost of a woman probably around the same age as us. However, that would be when she died… Her hair went to her shoulders and there was a mole underneath her eyes.’

'And?’

'Dark. A completely dark room… Narrow… The sound of water… Hunger… A heavy atmosphere… Pain… Terror… Terror… Terror…’

'What do you mean?’

'If I could understand it so easily, I wouldn’t be suffering. Think about me a little.’

'Please don’t talk to me like I’m an idiot.’

'Am I wrong?’

When the elevator reached the first floor, Yakumo started walking briskly again.

Haruka had to run to catch up again.

The autumn sunset showed its unique colours.

The sky looked like a brilliant stained glass window.

When Haruka and Yakumo arrived at the station after leaving the hospital, there was a crowd.

It was rush hour, but it was clearly different from that.

The station was teeming with people who couldn’t get onto the platform.

There were ambulances parked nearby and emergency personnel were still stepping out.

The words were scrolling on the electric signboard that displayed train times.

'Because an accident occurred at this station, train operation has currently been suspended! As accident procedure is in place, please step outside the gates. We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience.’

A train attendant was saying that message loudly. There were people trying to rush out and curious onlookers, so everyone was crowded together.

'Seems like there was an accident.’

'You can tell just from looking,’ said Yakumo with his arms crossed.

This person really just goes on and –

'Ah, Professor Takaoka.’

Haruka spotted a face she knew in the crowd and called out.

'Professor Takaoka?’

'A lecturer for one of my seminars. Please wait.’

Haruka made her way through the crowd towards Takaoka.

'Professor Takaoka.’

She bumped into countless people but finally reached the one she was looking for.

Takaoka acknowledged Haruka with a flat 'Ah’.

He had round glasses and looked at first glance to be a man of delicate features, but his shoulders were wide and solid in his suit.

He gave an immaculate and refreshing impression.

With his gentle manner and friendly personality, he was rather popular with female students.

'Professor, did something happen?’

Takaoka looked around, seeming troubled by Haruka’s question, but he finally spoke.

'Ichihashi-kun jumped in front of a train…’

'Ichihashi – do you mean Yuuichi-kun?’

Takaoka nodded.

'When you say jumped, do you mean…’

Her heart was beating loudly. Her throat dried up.

I can’t believe it –

'It was a suicide.’

'That’s…’

More of her friends were meeting with misfortune. And they were the two who had tested their courage by going to the deserted building.

'I can’t believe it either. I didn’t notice at all.’

Takaoka looked pained as he spoke.

'It isn’t your fault, Professor.’

'Haruka-kun, did you hear anything from Ichihashi-kun?’

Haruka shook her head. Takaoka wouldn’t believe her even if she told him.

The atmosphere was suffocating.

In the middle of that, somebody who looked like a station attendant called out to Takaoka and he walked away towards the stationmaster’s office.

'What was it?’

Yakumo had walked up to her at some point in time.

'Yuuichi-kun committed suicide…’

When she said it aloud, she felt how terrible it was.

I didn’t think he’d do something like kill himself when I was talking to him on the phone yesterday –

'Is Yuuichi one of the three who went on that test of courage?’

Haruka nodded.

Her legs were shaking – she could barely stand.

'It seems like it’d be better to look for the one who’s missing,’ said Yakumo as he ran a hand through his hair.

'He was normal yesterday, but…’

Her words got caught in her throat. She couldn’t speak.

'I have no hard evidence, but I can say this. It isn’t a suicide – ’

Yakumo said that as he looked straight towards the station gate.

It was so unexpected that Haruka’s eyes went wide.

It isn’t a suicide –

'What do you mean?’

'I said I didn’t have any hard evidence, didn’t I?’

Yakumo had his hands in his pockets as he started walking with his gaze on his feet.

'Miki was possessed by a ghost – ’

Haruka started speaking as she followed him.

'That’s impossible.’

'Impossible.’

'The ghost possessing your friend is afraid of something. She has no ill will.’

'Afraid… Ill will…?’

'Why don’t you try thinking with your own head a bit?’

This person keeps on –

'I’m asking because I don’t understand even after thinking about it.’

Yakumo suddenly stopped walking.

'I believe the incident this time involves somebody living,’ said Yakumo as he looked up at the sky with its lines of clouds.

Involves somebody living, he says –

'What do you mean?’

'I’m going to investigate that.’

'Huh.’

'That’s all for today. Until tomorrow…’

After Yakumo declared that, he gave the duty of looking into Kazuhiko’s disappearance to Haruka, and they split up there for the day.

5

Haruka’s morning lecture ended, and she went to Yakumo’s secret hiding place after noon, as promised.

Even though it was after noon, Yakumo looked as sleepy as always.

'Good morning,’ said Haruka, sitting in the chair opposite Yakumo.

'And?’

Yakumo brought up the topic at hand in a displeased tone.

Haruka explained to Yakumo that she had called Kazuhiko’s mobile multiple times, but it looked like the battery had been off, and she hadn’t been able to contact him.

She had asked the acquaintances of Kazuhiko that she knew, but nobody knew where he was.

He had been missing since the incident –

'Let’s put things in order,’ said Yakumo, letting out a large yawn. 'Tell me once more in detail about the test of courage.’

'Put things in order?’

Haruka searched her memories, as Yakumo suggested, and started explaining how the three of them had gone on a test of courage.

There were a number of points when he asked questions, but Haruka couldn’t respond.

She was just telling the story she had heard from Yuuichi as accurately as she could. She hadn’t been at the scene herself.

Even if she wanted to confirm, Yuuichi was already dead.

When Haruka finished speaking, Yakumo ran a hand through his messy hair and then crossed his arms.

'What are you going to do now then?’ Haruka asked, knowing that he would get angry at her.

'Right. First, who is the spirit possessing your friend? I’m going to look into that.’

'Do you have any idea?’

'If you ask whether I do, I guess I do?’

'You’re always so vague.’

'The world is full of vague things.’

Yakumo stood up.

Haruka was brought by Yakumo to the reference room in Building A.

She had come to this room a number of times before.

It was a white-walled room of about fifty tsubo in size, lined with moving cabinets that went up to the ceiling.

The student registry and class materials were kept here.

'What are you going to look into here?’

'I believe that the spirit possessing your friend was a student at this school.’

'You’re not going to look at everything here, are you?’

'I plan on it,’ said Yakumo matter-of-factly.

Searching from the very beginning would –

'How many students do you think have enrolled in this school? You’ll stay here until you’re an old man.’

Haruka sat in front of the rack of three computers at the back of the room and clicked the mouse.

That turned off the screensaver and showed a screen asking for a password.

'Searching with the computer is great, but what will you do about the password?’

Yakumo crossed his arms and snorted.

'They organised the data here last year. Since they didn’t have enough hands, a few students did part-time.’

'And you were one of them.’

'Yes.’

'Do you think the password hasn’t been changed since then?’

That made sense.

But it was better than not trying. The password then had been the date of the school’s founding in numbers.

She input the numbers with the number pad and clicked the enter key.

The monitor displayed the next screen. She felt somewhat triumphant.

'What dreadful security,’ said Yakumo with a sigh.

'Though looking into all of these documents would have been dreadful too,’ said Haruka with all the spite she had garnered until now.

For once, Yakumo didn’t say anything back. Though he was acting calm, he must not have been inside.

Haruka clicked the file with the student registry. A screen listing name, address, birthdate, contact information and school department showed up.

'Are there photos too?’ said Yakumo, expressing his wonder as he looked at the screen.

'Just the past ten years.’

'That’s enough.’

'So who are you looking for?’

'The name Yuri. I don’t know the kanji.’

Haruka typed Yuri into the furigana table and searched. There were almost two hundred results.

'This would be tough. Don’t you have any other information?’

'They’re female.’

'I know that.’

'She has a mole under her eye.’

'I can’t search for that.’

There, the conversation stopped.

They had suddenly become stuck. Haruka thought over it, but she couldn’t come up with anything.

Yakumo ran a hand through his hair in his irritation, but he suddenly looked up.

'Absences. Or withdrawals. Can you search with those parameters?’

That was right. That would lower the number drastically.

'I can probably do it.’

Haruka searched again and found three people.

'It’s her!’ exclaimed Yakumo upon seeing the second woman’s photo.

Shinohara Yuri. In the Arts and Humanities faculty, department of English. Absent.

She had long hair that was tied in the back with glasses that looked strong. Just as Yakumo had said, there was a mole underneath her eye.

Overall, she looked sensitive.

I –

'I know this person,’ said Haruka, looking up at Yakumo who was standing beside her.

'A friend?’

'We were in the same seminar in first year. I haven’t spoken to her directly, but I’ve seen her a number of times before. At the end of last month, she suddenly stopped coming to school.’

'What is the reason for her absence?’

'I don’t know… But it seems like she’s disappeared. Her parents asked the police to search – there was a bit of a fuss.’

'Disappeared, eh?’ said Yakumo, rubbing his sharp nose.

It was too much for this to just be a coincidence.

'That’s right! Professor Takaoka might know something!’ Haruka said quickly, unable to hide her excitement.

However, Yakumo was the picture of calm. He put his index finger in his ear like he thought her noisy.

'Talk more calmly. And who’s Professor Takaoka?

'Did you forget? You met him at the station yesterday, right? That’s Professor Takaoka. He was in charge of our seminar.’

'That isn’t much help,’ said Yakumo with a yawn.

'You’re negative about everyone.’

'Do you believe in anyone?’

'Anyone besides you.’

'That’s an honour.’

Yakumo didn’t seem to care about Haruka’s unpleasantness. He took a mobile phone out of his pocket and started making a call.

'Ah, Gotou-san? There’s something I’d like to request…’

Yakumo started speaking – it seemed like the call had connected.

Though Haruka couldn’t hear the voice of the person on the other side of the line, she could get the gist of the conversation. Yakumo wanted the other person to look into everything about Shinohara Yuri.

Yakumo just gave his request and then hung up.

'Who was that just now?’ Haruka asked, unable to think of somebody who could respond to a search request.

'An acquaintance.’

'Would that person know about news regarding missing people?’

'I wouldn’t call him if there wasn’t the possibility.’

That made sense, but what sort of acquaintance could it be if just one call was enough to look into a missing person?

While Haruka was thinking about it, Yakumo opened the door and left.

'Again?’

He really did just do whatever he wanted. Though Haruka was fed up, she went after Yakumo and left the room.

'Haruka-kun.’

Just as she left the reference room, somebody called out to her.

When she turned around, she saw Takaoka walking towards her – the person they had just been talking about.

'Professor – ’

For a moment, Haruka wasn’t sure if she should chase Yakumo, but in the end, she stood there and waited for Takaoka to reach her.

'Yesterday must have been tough for you.’

'No, no – it must have been more so for you, Professor.’

Takaoka had clearly been worn out yesterday. It made sense – his own student had died.

On the contrary, Haruka wouldn’t know what to do if he smiled at her.

'That’s not true. Though of course I’m not well.’

Takaoka’s expression softened, but that hurt even more.

'Anyway, you can’t overdo yourself at a time like this.’

'It goes for you too, Professor – ’

'That’s right,’ said Takaoka with a wry smile, and then he walked away from Haruka.

'E-excuse me, Professor.’

Haruka called out to Takaoka, who was about to leave.

Takaoka stopped walking and turned around.

'What is it?’

'No, er…’

Haruka was lost for words.

She had called out to Takaoka because she felt like she had to ask him about Yuri, but she didn’t know how to bring up the topic.

'What’s wrong? Don’t worry about it and just tell me,’ urged Takaoka, who seemed to sense that Haruka was troubled.

She let herself talk as he said.

'Professor, do you remember Shinohara Yuri-san?’

'I do. She’s on leave right now, yes?’

'Yes. She’s gone missing.’

'Is that so… But why are you suddenly talking about Shinohara-kun?’

Takaoka looked suspicious.

It made sense.

'I can’t talk about it in detail now, but it might be related to the matter with Yuuichi-kun.’

'Ichihashi-kun?’

'Yes. Do you remember anything?’

'Anything I remember, eh…’

Takaoka scratched his chin – it looked like he was thinking.

'Anything is fine. Like how she was before she went missing, students she was friends with, or her boyfriend…’

Haruka listed a number of topics to help Takaoka remember.

'Her boyfriend – ’

Takaoka seemed to have remembered something, as his mouth suddenly opened.

'Did you recall something?’

'Ah, Shinohara-kun did have a boyfriend. Aizawa-kun, in the year above her.’

'By Aizawa, do you mean the one in the orchestra circle?’

'Yes, yes, that Aizawa-kun.’

Haruka was so surprised she couldn’t say anything else. The name that Takaoka had just said now was one Haruka knew.

'I just remembered something I have to do. Please excuse me.’

She had to tell Yakumo as soon as she could.

Urged on by that impulse, Haruka made a bow at Takaoka and ran down the corridor.

After turning the first corner, she suddenly spotted Yakumo.

'Where are you going in such a hurry?’ said Yakumo with a yawn.

'Ah!’

People can’t stop suddenly. Haruka almost fell as she screeched to a halt and had to take a few steps back.

'I heard most of the story.’

What kind of monster ears did he have? But if he had heard, that was easier.

'The boyfriend of the person named Yuri was Aizawa-san.’

'I said that I heard.’

Then be more surprised! Haruka bit down the urge to yell.

'Aizawa Tetsurou-san is the one who introduced me to you. Isn’t that too suspicious to be just a coincidence?’

'You’re a hundred times more suspicious.’

Yakumo started walking briskly, seeming completely uninterested.

Really, what a man!

6

Yakumo led Haruka to a prefabricated building in behind the main school building.

It was used as the janitors’ room.

Why had they come here? No matter how Haruka asked, Yakumo didn’t answer.

'Hello.’

Yakumo spoke up at the entrance.

When there was no response, Yakumo opened the door and went inside the room.

'Hey. Is it OK just to go in?’

Haruka couldn’t bring herself to go in and peered into the room from behind Yakumo.

Right past the entrance, there was a long table and folding chairs. In the back, there was a refrigerator and a sink. There were tools like shovels and sickles against the wall.

'Hey, isn’t this bad?’

Haruka called out to Yakumo’s back, but she was ignored.

Haruka had just let out a sigh when a person appeared from the door in the back of the room.

'Eek!’

Haruka leapt instinctively.

'W-w-what are you d-d-doing?’

A middle-aged man in a grey uniform came in.

He had a thin face with deep wrinkles. The tip of his nose and his cheeks were red. His skin was dark. He looked like a stereotypical alcoholic.

Though Haruka didn’t know his name, she’d seem him around campus a number of times before.

This man, who was a caretaker for this university, always dragged his left leg as he walked.

Haruka didn’t know if it was true, but there was a rumour that a female student had almost been molested by him.

It put Haruka a bit on guard.

'I’m sorry for coming so suddenly. Actually, I was wondering if I could borrow the key to the deserted building in the back.’

Even though they had been found trespassing, Yakumo spoke calmly.

'W-w-what do you want to g-g-go to that place for?’

The man’s voice was piercing, like a cicada’s.

'Actually, my friends went to that building earlier for a test of courage.’

'Test of courage?’

'Yes. It seems like they dropped something important to them then, so I want to go look for it.’

Yakumo kept speaking at random, like he had thought this up in advance.

The caretaker didn’t seem to doubt Yakumo’s lie, but there was a wrinkle between his thick eyebrows – he looked obviously exasperated.

'Please, Yamane-san.’

Yakumo bowed his head.

The caretaker was called Yamane? It was the first Haruka had heard of it.

Yamane slowly dragged his foot over to the key box on the wall and took a key out, throwing it at Yakumo.

'Y-y-you don’t have to return the key today. I’m going home.’

'Thank you very much.’

’D-d-don’t do something as s-stupid as a test of courage again.’

'So they do appear?’

Yakumo pretended to be a ghost.

’T-that isn’t it… The b-building is old. It’ll be taken down n-next month…’

'I see. I understand.’

Yakumo was about to leave when he stopped and turned to look at Yamane.

'Excuse me, but is there a dial-type padlock there?’

'I-I-I don’t know. I’ve never had anything to do at t-that place, so I’ve n-never gone in.’

Yakumo bowed once more and left.

'Hey, why did you know that caretaker’s name?’ asked Haruka.

'His name was sewn on his uniform. What on earth were you looking at?’

I see –

When Haruka stood in front of the deserted building, the sun had already set.

There was just a faint blue at the line of mountains in the distance –

It was quiet. The sound of the wind rus

That tunnel was the shortest path from the residential area to the shopping district, but nearly no locals used it.

It was a famous tunnel for having a high accident rate.

There was a death every year.

Inside the tunnel, there were no lights, and it was dim and hard to see even during the day.

There was a sharp curve right outside the tunnel, and unlucky cars got into accidents there so often it was almost guaranteed.

However, the reason for the accidents appeared to be more than just bad visibility.

There had long been endless rumours about how something mysterious appeared in the tunnel –

Some drivers said they’d seen human heads fly by their window.

When they tried to escape in their fear, then their brakes stopped working – they would barely avoid hitting the guard rail.

Others said they’d seen countless human faces in the tunnel walls.

Some cab drivers said they’d taken on a drenched woman in front of the tunnel, but when they looked in the rear-view mirror after exiting, she would suddenly be gone –

Nobody knew the truth.

All that was certain was that many people had died at that tunnel’s exit –

1

It was a quiet night –

‘It’s cold.’

Haruka tried her best not to be hit by the wind, putting up the collar of her beige coat and hunching over as she walked.

It was late at night on Sunday, so even though she was in front of the station, there was practically nobody there.

She just heard the echo of her boots hitting the ground.

She had gone to a party because Miki had forced her to, but when she went in, it had turned out to be a mixer.

Perhaps she was outdated, but she didn’t really like parties of that sort.

Miki would die from loneliness without a boyfriend. She was like a rabbit. But Haruka wasn’t desperate to find someone.

'Haruka, you’ve never really fallen in love.’

Miki often said that to her.

It was true.

Even when she thought back, she felt like she’d never had a romance that felt like a romance.

'So just go date someone.’

Miki said that too.

However, Haruka didn’t feel like trying desperately to meet somebody to find love.

She thought that love would come about naturally – that it wasn’t something to be decided, like with shopping when deciding on goods and checking a wallet’s contents.

'I really am old-fashioned…’ murmured Haruka, letting out a sigh that came out white.

After reaching the roundabout in front of the station, she heard a car horn.

A white car slowed down and rolled up to her, stopping in front of her.

It was a bit suspicious. Haruka was on guard as she stepped back.

Then, the passenger seat window opened and the car’s lights turned on.

'Haruka-chan, I’ll give you a ride.’

Why do they know my name? She felt even more suspicious.

'You can’t have forgotten already, right? We were just together earlier.’

Haruka recalled upon hearing the man’s quick speech.

'Ah!’

It was one of the people from the party earlier. If she remembered correctly, his name was something like Nakahara Tatsuya.

He had a medium build and a rather plain face, but his hair was like a famous soccer player’s. That said, it seemed like he didn’t actually like soccer that much.

'Get on already.’

Tatsuya smiled as he hit the passenger seat.

'It’s fine – the trains are still running.’

Haruka refused with a bow of her head and started walking again.

'Hey, wait a sec.’

Tatsuya quickly got off the car and ran up to stand in front of Haruka, grinning as he pointed at his left wrist.

'What time is it now?’

What’s this all of a sudden?

Haruka didn’t understand, but she checked the time on the wristwatch.

'11:50.’

'Sorry, but the last train’s already left.’

'Eh? The last train is at 12:06.’

'Ah, that’s on weekdays. This is Sunday – a holiday. Trains stop earlier. The last train on holidays is 11:48. You just missed it. Though for me, I just made it.’

Haruka hadn’t known. She was really out of it today.

'That’s why I said I’d drive you. You live in the same direction as I do, Haruka-chan.’

As Tatsuya said that, he opened the door on the passenger side.

“But…’

'Please. I’m frightened of going home alone.’

Tatsuya put his hands together as if praying and bowed his head.

Frightened, he says –

She didn’t mind getting in the car, but…

'Nakahara-san, you weren’t drinking?’

'Ah, I’m no good with alcohol, so I drank oolong tea the whole time.’

After this exchange, Haruka lost and sat in the car.

Tatsuya started talking about the car they were riding in the moment he started the car.

He spoke energetically about how it was a famous sports car that he’d got cheap from an acquaintance who was a car mechanic, but since Haruka had no interest in cars, she didn’t really understand.

Though she didn’t know what sort of car this was, Tatsuya had turned the heat on higher than necessary, and the air freshener made her want to lean away.

Not just that – the rap music in four-four time sung by a Japanese group was so loud it echoed in her belly.

Being shut in this place would make her feel uncomfortable in just five minutes.

She felt bad and kept quiet since he had offered her a ride, but she was at her limits –

'Sorry, could you turn down the volume a bit?’

Haruka spoke to Tatsuya in the driver seat.

'Right? This song is the best.’

What was the best? He wasn’t listening to her at all.

Hair mimicking a soccer player and Japanese rap. And he was wearing a rather seedy suit. What on earth were his interests?

It felt like a comedy – a mix of everything that was popular.

Haruka used the panel to turn down the volume.

Tatsuy looked at her dubiously.

Haruka ignored Tatsuya’s gaze and opened the window slightly, breathing the outside air, unpolluted by the air freshener.

'Ah, it’s a left at the next road,’ Haruka told Tatsuya when they reached the corner with the police precinct.

'Left. Got it.’

Though Tatsuya said that, he turned the wheel right without even putting on the turn signal.

Haruka lost her balance at the sharp curve.

What dangerous driving –

'It isn’t right. It’s left. Please turn around.’

'There’s a place with a beautiful night view ahead. Did you know?’

'I didn’t.’

'Let’s go take a look.’

'It’s fine.’

'It’s really beautiful. You’ll definitely like it. Just at the top of that hill.’

It was no use. He wasn’t listening at all.

It was like he thought everybody in the world had the same perspective as he did.

It was useless no matter what she said.

If she went with him to see the night view, hopefully that’d satisfy him and he’d go back. Haruka gave up and looked out the window.

Come to think of it, she knew another man who did whatever he wanted, no matter what anybody else said.

He was stubborn and contrary. Even though he hated things that were crooked, he was slightly crooked himself. A man full of contradictions.

But even though he also did whatever he wanted, Haruka felt like there was something fundamentally different when comparing him to Tatsuya.

It had been a month since then.

How was he doing? Haruka thought about that sleepy-looking face and ended up smiling slightly.

'Just ahead of this tunnel.’

Tatsuya’s voice brought Haruka back to reality. She looked forward.

Just as he said, there was a tunnel in front of them.

By the entrance, she saw a sign that read 'High Accident Area. Watch Your Speed!’

It looked like there were no lights in the tunnel – an ink-black darkness opened up in front of them.

The moment the car went into the tunnel, the air suddenly felt heavier.

The sound of the engine echoed against the tunnel walls.

Ooooooooh.

It sounded just like a person moaning.

The tunnel was really eerie.

Just as they were approaching the exit, Haruka suddenly felt like something had passed them.

'Ack!’ yelled Tatsuya, suddenly slamming the brakes.

The tires screeched.

Haruka was forced forward and hit her head against the window.

Tears welled up in her eyes from the pain.

They had stopped sideways right outside the tunnel.

They’d almost hit the guard rail.

The car was filled with the smell of the burnt tires.

Haruka looked at Tatsuya in the driver’s seat.

Tatsuya was clinging to the wheel, looking down while shivering.

Sweat was rushing down his forehead and his jaw was chattering.

'Hey, what’s wrong?’

Tatsuya didn’t look normal.

Tatsuya tried to respond, but his mouth just moved – no words came out.

'Say it clearly. What happened?’

Haruka shook Tatsuya’s shoulders.

Then, Tatsuya lifted his head for the first time. His face was completely white. Even a mannequin would have more colour in its face.

’…A k-kid…’

'Eh? What about a kid?’

’…Again… I might have hit… Suddenly… a kid…’

Tatsuya’s shaking finger pointed out the front window.

'Hit… You can’t mean…’

A kid? Haruka didn’t think there was any impact after the sudden brakes.

However, she couldn’t be optimistic. Anyway, she could go check.

Haruka opened the door and tried to leave, but Tatsuya grabbed her arm.

'Don’t go.’

'Why? I need to check.’

'It wasn’t my fault. the kid – the kid… suddenly jumped out…’

Tatsuya was frantic as he grabbed Haruka’s arm.

There were tears in his eyes.

'It’s not a problem of who was at fault. We need to call an ambulance.’

'You can’t… If you hit… a person, you can’t drive any more, and university and finding a job… And your parents won’t keep quiet… My life is a mess… Please, Haruka-chan, if you keep quiet…’

'I can’t believe you.’

What a man. The moment he might have taken somebody’s life, all he could think about was how to protect himself.

Arguing with somebody like this was itself pointless.

'Let go of me!’ Haruka yelled, forcing Tatsuya’s arm off her and getting off the car.

The intense difference in temperature shocked her.

Though it was dark outside, with the car’s lights, she could see.

Haruka timidly walked to the front of the car.

She felt like they were driving pretty quickly.

If somebody were hit at that speed, it’d be no use.

Haruka’s legs shook when she imagined a child, collapsed and covered in blood.

However, there was nothing there.

She just saw black lines on the asphalt from the burnt tires. She checked the car’s bumper, but there wasn’t even a dent.

Haruka checked the side and rear as well.

However, she couldn’t find anything. Was Tatsuya just seeing things? That would be fine. They could laugh it off –

Step step step.

There was the sound of someone running.

She thought it might be Tatsuya, but he was still in the car with his head down.

Step step step.

Again.

She heard it from the opposite side, beneath the car.

Haruka crouched and peered under the car. She saw a foot that could be a child’s.

It can’t be! Haruka hurriedly stood up and went around.

However, nobody was there. She might have just imagined it since Tatsuya had said he’d hit a child.

If that was all, it’d be OK.

Haruka was about to go back in the car, when she felt a piercing gaze on her back and stopped.

When she turned around, she saw the large half-circle hole into the dark tunnel.

There was a woman standing there with her back facing her.

Even though nobody had been there earlier –

Haruka couldn’t be sure from her back, but the woman was probably in her late twenties.

She thought that because the woman was wearing a grey suit, but she could actually be younger.

She wasn’t doing anything – just standing there.

Her brown hair shook in the wind.

What was she doing here at a time like this?

'Excuse me…’

When Haruka spoke up to her, the woman slowly turned around.

Haruka thought that her heart might stop from surprise.

There was a large injury on the woman’s forehead, and blood was pouring out, almost pulsing.

The chest portion of her white shirt was dyed completely red.

That wasn’t all – her right arm was bent in such an unnatural way it might have been broken.

It was mysterious how she could stand at all.

'This is terrible…’

Tatsuya hadn’t hit a child. He’d hit this woman.

'Are you all right?’

The woman didn’t respond at all to Haruka’s question. That wasn’t all – her expression was blank, like she didn’t feel the pain at all.

She was probably numb.

'I’ll call an ambulance right away. Please sit down for now.’

The moment Haruka tried to touch the woman –

The woman shook.

Her body convulsed violently.

She was coughing when she vomited blood from her mouth.

'Aaahh!’

Haruka screamed without thinking and leapt back.

Then, as if she had been absorbed by the scenery, the woman disappeared.

Why –

Haruka was disoriented. All she could hear was the wind going through the tunnel –

2

The next day, Haruka went with Tatsuya to Yakumo’s secret hideaway, the Movie Research Circle clubroom.

Yesterday’s experience had to have been a spiritual phenomenon.

If that were the case, it would be best to consult him.

However, while Haruka explained what had happened yesterday to Yakumo, he just played shogi by himself, as if to say he was bored.

'So it’s come to this…’

Yakumo seemed to be admiring something as he moved the pieces on both sides by himself.

What was interesting about playing shogi alone? Haruka couldn’t understand at all.

'Are you listening?’ asked Haruka, displeased.

'Yeah, at any rate.’

'What do you mean, at any rate? Can’t you listen more seriously?’

'You should be more humble. You just barged in here without thinking about how I’d feel about that and suddenly started telling a ghost story.’

Haruka couldn’t think of a comeback.

It was just as he said. She had become agitated and hadn’t thought about him at all.

'Sorry.’

'Well, I get the gist of it. Business is business, so shall I take it up?’ said Yakumo, stretching his arms.

'Really?’

'I just have to save your boyfriend, right?’

'I’ll say this again, but he’s not my boyfriend.’

'You’re so cold to him even though he’s right there.’

Haruka let out an exasperated sigh and looked down.

Then, Tatsuya started smirking, though Haruka didn’t know what was so funny.

When she caught his eye, he brought his face close to her ear and whispered.

'We look like a couple.’

'No, you don’t.’

The one who denied that was Yakumo.

'We don’t, you say… Weren’t you the one who said we did earlier?’

'I don’t recall that.’

Did too, did not – it was just like a kid’s fight.

Haruka didn’t feel like talking. For a while, Tatsuya looked at Yakumo’s expression, but then he suddenly seemed to remember something and then started laughing.

'Oh, I see. You like Haruka-chan too. That’s why you don’t like me getting friendly with her. That’s it, right?’ said Tatsuya boastfully.

'Hey, what are you saying?’ objected Haruka.

Tatsuya ignored her and continued.

'Unfortunately, an oaf like you doesn’t match Haruka-chan at all.’

'That’s true. I don’t like stubborn women who get emotionally easily anyway. I couldn’t care less if you simmered her or boiled her,’ said Yakumo, his expression not changing even in the least.

'Is it really OK for you to say that? I’ll really eat Haruka-chan up.’

'Do what you want. If you plan on eating her, you should watch out for food poisoning.’

'Hey, what do you mean by that?’

That was just saying too much. Haruka objected while hitting the table.

'I mean exactly what I said,’ replied Yakumo in a flat tone without bowing his head.

Haruka’s face flushed in anger and she bit her lip.

Really – this man’s words always riled her up. He had to be a genius at making people angry.

'Then I’ll do what I want.’

Tatsuya was still smiling triumphantly as he took a piece from the corner of the shogi board and moved it to another square.

'Checkmate.’

Yakumo had been expressionless, but now there was a deep wrinkle between his brows.

His thin lips were a straight line, and his almond eyes were narrowed.

'I’ll give you just one warning.’

Yakumo put the piece Tatsuya moved back in its original spot and pointed at Tatsuya.

'Warning?’

'Yes. A warning.’

'Oh? What is it?’

'You should use contraception and properly hold memorial services for aborted foetuses.’

'W-what are you suddenly saying?’

Tatsuya pushed Yakumo’s finger away and stood up.

He looked terribly shaken. He was showing his true cowardly nature, that had been hidden behind his exaggerated confidence.

He was disturbed because it had hit home. Haruka looked at Tatsuya coldly.

'Haruka-chan, don’t get the wrong idea. This guy’s nuts. Oi, don’t just say whatever you want. If you don’t stop fooling around, I won’t keep quiet.’

'I’m not fooling around. Would it be easier to understand if I said her name?’

'Who’d you hear it from?’ said Tatsuya, his expression stiffening.

He fell right into the trap. What he’d said just now proved everything. Tatsuya’s head was sweaty as Yakumo continued to pursue him.

'Not just one person either. Two. You didn’t learn your lesson, it seems.’

'You’re wrong. They just selfishly got pregnant. It’s not my fault.’

Tatsuya was so shaken he was digging his own grave. And it was pretty deep.

There was no doubt about it now.

Tatsuya’s careless words made Yakumo even angrier.

'They just selfishly got pregnant? What are you talking about? That might have been an acceptable excuse if it were a false pregnancy, but aren’t pregnancies only possible with a partner?’

'That’s…’

'Though small, it was a new life born into this world. Did you say that they just selfishly got pregnant, like some awful joke, and cruelly kill that life? I rue the fact that Japan’s laws don’t consider people like you murderers.’

Tatsuya’s mouth opened and shut as he frantically tried to think of something to say, but in the end, he said nothing.

Tatsuya had been foolish for getting ahead of himself and challenging Yakumo in an argument.

Tatsuya’s self-respect was probably in shreds.

Tatsuya stood up in a rage, slammed the door open and left. That was probably all he could do to protest.

'Is it all right for you not to go with him?’ said Yakumo, looking at the shogi board again.

'That person is the worst, but you don’t lose to him either.’

'Thank you for the praise.’

That sounded pointed.

'Are you angry?’ asked Haruka.

Yakumo sighed.

'Think a bit. You might like him, but I hate that sort of person. He thinks he’s the most important person in the world and doesn’t care about anything else.’

'So that’s why you lied?’

'Lied?’

'About whether there was an aborted baby or not.’

'Decide that on your own. It’s completely irrelevant to me.’

'That’s right. It was irrelevant. I apologise for causing you trouble,’ said Haruka, standing up. She tried to leave the room.

'There’s more to that story, right?’

Yakumo finally lifted his head.

In the end, she decided that her eyes must have been playing tricks on her and went home.

However, the situation changed the day after. Tatsuya’s front bumper had a bright red handprint the size of a child’s.

Like a bloody hand had touched it.

Tatsuya had been frightened of it and tried to wash it off, but even after using cleansing liquid and a brush, it wouldn’t come off.

He had been too frightened to drive it since.

Haruka gave a short explanation. Yakumo silently crossed his arms and looked up at the ceiling. Haruka couldn’t tell if he was listening or not.

'Hey, are you listening?’

'I am. It’s just that the story seems a bit convoluted.’

'Convoluted?’

'Yes, convoluted. For example…’

Yakumo started speaking, but then he ran a hand through his hair in irritation, like something was bothering him.

'What’s wrong?’

'No, it’s nothing. Speculation will start nothing. At times like this, the scene…’

'Let’s go.’

Haruka finished Yakumo’s sentence.

'Exactly.’

'Don’t leave me behind this time.’

'Leave you behind? If you’re talking about the last incident, you were the one who wanted to move separately. Try not to get the wrong idea.’

One sentence too many.

Haruka glared at Yakumo, but Yakumo didn’t care at all.

'It’s not walking distance, right?’

Even though Haruka kept glaring, Yakumo asked a question, as if he didn’t care at all.

'Eh?’

'The tunnel where the incident occurred.’

'Ah. I know where it is, but it’d be difficult to walk there.’

'Do you have a car?’

'I don’t even have a licence.’

'Don’t act proud of it.’

'I’m not…’

'DO you have the address?’

'Should I ask Tatsuya-kun?’

'I’d rather walk.’

Yakumo tapped his temple with his finger. It looked like he was thinking, but in the end, he slowly stood up and put on a black hooded coat that was in the corner of the room and started getting dressed.

'Do you have the address?’

'I have an idea.’

Yakumo opened the refrigerator and took a key out. Why was there a key in the refrigerator?

'Promise me one thing before we go.’

As he said that, Yakumo pointed his index finger at Haruka’s nose.

'What?’

'For the next little while, don’t ask any questions.’

'What do you mean?’

'To put it simply, shut that chatty mouth.’

'Chatty…’

That was an awful way of putting it.

Haruka wanted to object, but Yakumo had already left the room.

'Hey, wait a second.’

Haruka ran after Yakumo.

Yakumo suddenly turned around and threw something at Haruka. It was so sudden that Haruka almost lost her balance as she caught it with both hands.

'It’s cold – ’

It was the key from the refrigerator.

'Shut the door properly.’

'Wait…’

'Don’t forget to shut your mouth too.’

What a guy. Talking to a girl like this –

He was really insensitive, selfish and unpleasant.

'Idiot!’

Haruka couldn’t stop herself from yelling.

However, Yakumo seemed to have mistaken what she said, as he just raised his hand and continued walking away briskly.

Haruka locked the door and ended up having to run after Yakumo again.

3

Haruka walked behind Yakumo.

She couldn’t say anything after he’d told her to shut his mouth. She had been silent for fifteen minutes.

They soon reached a steep slope.

On both sides of the road, there were gingko trees with yellow leaves.

It was a beautiful little road that made you want to stop and enjoy it.

However, Yakumo didn’t seem to want to enjoy it, as he briskly climbed the slope.

At the top of the slope, there were the gates to a temple. Yakumo stopped in front of them.

It looked like a fairly old temple, but it was well kept and didn’t seem wild.

Why did they come to a temple?

'Hey…’

'Did you forget? No questions.’

The moment Haruka tried to ask why, Yakumo glared at her coldly.

Am I that chatty? Though she couldn’t be called quiet in comparison to her friends, she didn’t think she was particularly chatty.

Of course she would have questions without any explanations, and it was human to want to ask about that.

I’m not chatty – Yakumo’s just strange.

'Don’t move from the gates.’

'I don’t have to go?’

'No questions.’

Yakumo refused her flat with an expressionless face.

Even a wooden Buddha statue would have more emotion.

It looked like he really didn’t plan on saying anything. Haruka gave up and went to the pillar by the gates and put her hands behind her back.

Yakumo seemed to be satisfied by that, as he started walking briskly.

He went on the path to the temple, surrounded by gravel on both sides, and went inside a separate building that was probably the priests’ quarters.

He hadn’t pressed the intercom button or greeted anybody.

Did Yakumo have some sort of connection to this temple? Perhaps that was why he didn’t want to talk about it.

It’s cold though –

She hadn’t noticed while walking, but the wind was biting when she stood here alone like this.

Why did she have to wait here by herself?

Anger rose within her as she waited.

'Hurry back!’

Unable to keep in her anger, Haruka picked up a rock at her feet and threw it towards the direction Yakumo had walked.

'Ouch!’

She was surprised by the sudden voice.

Somebody slowly walked out from behind the gates.

'I-I-I’m sorry.’

Haruka hurriedly bowed her head.

Even though there shouldn’t have been anybody in the direction she threw the rock, she’d actually hit someone –

'You might get cursed for throwing a rock at a temple.’

'I’m really sorry.’

Haruka shrunk further.

'No, no, don’t look so worried. It didn’t actually hit. Now, lift your head.’

Urged by the low and gentle voice, Haruka timidly lifted her head.

There was a middle-aged monk standing there in navy working robes and straw sandals.

He had an egg-shaped face and eyes thin like string. He had a warm impression to him, like Maitreya.

'Ah.’

Haruka let out a voice of surprise upon seeing the monk’s face.

'What is it?’

'No, it’s nothing.’

She recalled that Yakumo had asked her not to ask anything. Perhaps this was why.

The monk standing in front of Haruka had a left eye that glowed red like Yakumo’s.

'What are you doing here?’

'E-er, I’m waiting for Yakumo-kun – no, a friend…’

Even though it wasn’t like she was doing anything suspicious or like she was lying, she was fumbling for words.

'I see. Are you Yakumo’s girlfriend? Quite the curio.’

'C-curio?’

'Ah, sorry. It’s the first time Yakumo’s brought a girlfriend over, so I got excited.’

Could this person be Yakumo’s father?

'U-um, do you know Yakumo-kun?’

Yakumo had said not to ask him questions, but he hadn’t said not to ask anybody else questions.

Haruka changed the interpretation the way she liked and tried asking.

'I’m Yakumo’s father.’

'Eh?’

Yakumo had said his father was missing –

'Ah, no, to be correct, I plan on being his father. Since he definitely won’t accept it. I’m his mother’s little brother. His uncle.’

Yakumo’s uncle smiled wryly as he scratched his shaved head.

'Well, let’s not just talk while standing. Come in.’

'Eh, but…’

'It’s fine, it’s fine. Just ignore what Yakumo says. No matter what you do, he’ll complain.’

Haruka was troubled, but she went through the gates, as urged by Yakumo’s uncle.

After she went into the priests’ quarters, she got under the kotatsu in the living room and waited for Yakumo.

His uncle brought tea on a tray and sat across from Haruka.

When she looked at him properly, he did look like Yakumo.

She wouldn’t know how to explain if asked what was similar, but if she had to say, it was probably the shape of the face.

However, the atmosphere around him was completely different from Yakumo’s.

'Sorry. I invited you in, but this is all I can offer. I should have bought some youkan.’

'No, please don’t fuss over me.’

'It must have been cold standing there by yourself.’

'Yes, very.’

Normally, she would have said something like 'Not at all’, but she ended up saying the truth.

'How honest.’

Yakumo’s uncle smiled.

When he smiled, his eyes closed. It was a gentle expression.

'I’m often told I’m too honest. I think I need to fix that myself.’

'No, honesty is best. There are probably people who have been helped by your words.’

'Do you think so? I always just hurt people.’

It was strange. This person found his way into people’s hearts with incredible ease.

However, it didn’t feel unpleasant at all.

'Not at all. I know at least one person who’s been helped by your words.’

'Eh?’

She didn’t think somebody she’d just met would say that.

Even though he has no way of knowing who I’ve met –

'It’s you, isn’t it? The one who said Yakumo’s eye was beautiful.’

It was true that Haruka had said that the first time she saw Yakumo’s red eye.

Yakumo had laughed at her, saying she was the first person who’d said that.

'How do you know that?’

At Haruka’s question, Yakumo’s uncle leant forward before saying, 'This is just between us…’

'Uncle, you don’t have to say anything else unnecessary.’

Suddenly, Yakumo interrupted.

Yakumo stood in the living room entrance, looking disapprovingly at Haruka. Even though Haruka noticed, she just slowly sipped her tea.

'What are you wasting your time for? We’re going.’

Yakumo’s order irritated her. She decided to pretend that she hadn’t heard it.

I’m not a dog. Even if I were, like I’d listen to the words of such an oppressive owner.

'What, it’s you, Yakumo? Don’t interrupt. I want to talk with your girlfriend a bit more.’

'She’s not my girlfriend. She’s a troublemaker. Don’t get the wrong idea.’

'Oh, so you already have such a strong bond? Well done.’

'Uncle, listen properly to what other people have to say.’

'Saying things like that. If you dawdle too much, some other man will snatch her up. There must be a lot of takers since she’s so cute.’

What on earth were they talking about with her right there? Haruka felt somewhat astonished, or rather –

'If there are people who want to take her, they can do whatever they want.’

'I’ll do what I want even without you saying so.’

Haruka had planned on saying that so that Yakumo wouldn’t be able to hear, but it looked like the words hadn’t escaped Yakumo’s ears.

His cold gaze came her way.

'Yakumo, can’t you be a bit nicer?’

'I wouldn’t mind thinking about it depending on the amount of money.’

His uncle shook his head in exasperation.

'Uncle, sorry, but I’m borrowing the car.’

'A drive with your girlfriend?’

'You’re obstinate.’

Yakumo said just that and left the room.

Haruka thought for a while, but just as Yakumo said, this was trouble that she had brought to him. She couldn’t just let Yakumo deal with it. After politely thanking Yakumo’s uncle, she stood up.

'That’s the sort of kid he is,’ Yakumo’s uncle said quietly as Haruka was about to leave the room.

It sounded somewhat lonely.

'Though Yakumo can see more than most, he’s shut his heart.’

'Are you talking about ghosts?’

After nodding, Yakumo’s uncle continued.

'Because he’s afraid of connecting too deeply with other people, he runs away. His emotions are a little twisted. Even though he’s like that, he’s really a nice kid… Hm…. That isn’t very convincing…’

His uncle cocked his head, looking troubled.

'I know.’

Haruka replied with a smile and left the room.

She wasn’t just saying that to make Yakumo’s uncle feel better. At that time, she honestly thought that, for some reason.

4

'Hey, about your uncle’s eye.’

When Haruka got in the white sedan, she timidly asked Yakumo in the driver seat this question.

There was no reply.

Haruka gave up and looked out the window.

Neither the car audio or radio was playing.

All she could hear was the engine and the sound of cold air blowing through the car.

In this car where there wasn’t even conversation, Haruka strangely didn’t feel uncomfortable.

'My uncle’s eye wasn’t like that from birth. He’s wearing a red contact lens.’

Yakumo suddenly started speaking once they approached the slope leading to the hill.

Haruka looked at Yakumo’s profile.

'Eh?’

'What? Isn’t that what you wanted to ask?’ said Yakumo, looking to his side.

For a moment, their eyes met. Haruka looked away in surprise. Her whole face felt hot.

'Why would he go out of his way to do that?’

'By going out of his way to make his eye red, he’s trying to get the world to look at him oddly and feel the same suffering and solitariness that I do.’

'To the point of sacrificing himself?’

'That’s the sort of person he is.’

Though Yakumo said that simply, what his uncle was doing wasn’t something that could be done simply.

’'Even though there’s somebody who cares so much for you, why are you living at the university, Yakumo-kun? You should think a little about how your uncle feels.’

She was speaking unusually strongly.

'Your faults are blabbering without thinking properly and deciding everything with your own perspective.’

'Your faults, Yakumo-kun, are your unfriendliness and your tendency to say insensitive things without thinking about other people’s feelings.’

Haruka bit back, not losing to Yakumo.

Yakumo shook his head, as if he were talking to an unreasonable child.

'Do you know what sort of place that was?’

'A temple.’

'Correct. A temple.’

'What about it? Isn’t that unrelated?’

'Have you forgotten? My left eye can see the spirits of the dead. Regardless of whether I want to or not.’

'Ah…’

Haruka finally understood what Yakumo was trying to say.

That was right. If a person who could see the spirits of the dead were at the temple, he would have to see dozens – no, hundreds of ghosts every day.

He would have to live with all the negative emotions from the spirits of the dead – their hatred, their anger, their sadness.

It would be impossible to stay sane.

For Haruka, it was just a temple, but it wasn’t the case for Yakumo.

'Uncle knows that. It’s too noisy there for me.’

Haruka felt like she had peered into Yakumo’s heart for the first time.

Just as Yakumo says, I might just decide things based on my own perspective.

Haruka opened the window and stuck her head out slightly.

The wind hit her forehead. The wind which was too cool felt pleasant now –

5

When they got close to the tunnel in question, Yakumo stopped the car by the road.

At the tunnel entrance, there were chrysanthemum flowers in an empty can.

They had probably been a fresh white colour before, but now they were withered and brown.

Even in the day, the tunnel felt eerie.

'This is the right place, right?’

Haruka responded with a silent nod.

It made her think of how frightening it had been then. Yakumo leant back on the seat and looked into the tunnel with a serious gaze.

Though it wasn’t that long a tunnel, perhaps because it was curved or because i sloped, she couldn’t see the tunnel’s end.

It was just a pitch-black hole, like an entrance to another world.

The wind coming through the tunnel made a low moan, like a beast’s howl.

The fallen leaves on the road danced up, rustling as they did so.

'Did you see something?’

Haruka asked Yakumo’s profile.

'It’s certain that there’s something, but I can’t clearly tell what it is from here.’

'So we have to go?’

'We do.’

After saying that, Yakumo slowly put down the side brake.

The car moved forward, as if being sucked in by the tunnel.

The car went inside the tunnel.

It suddenly grew darker. The air became heavier, and Haruka’s ears were ringing. Just like then.

Oooooooo.

For a moment, she felt like the wind’s moan grew louder.

After going through about half of the tunnel, the sound of the engine clearly changed. It was the sound an engine made when failing to climb a steep slope.

'This is bad…’

Yakumo said just that and bit his lower lip.

His usual sleepy expression was gone from his face. They were the eyes of a wolf on his prey. There was sweat on his forehead.

'I was too careless.’

'Eh?’

'Cover your face until I say it’s OK. Don’t look outside the window.’

'Why not?’

'Just cover your face!’ yelled Yakumo. He probably saw something.

Something incredibly frightening. Haruka did as she was told and covered her face with both hands, hunching over.

At the same time, Yakumo slammed the accelerator, making the engine roar. However, it felt like the speed didn’t go up that much.

Haruka was bent over with her eyes closed, but she felt something outside the car.

Oooooo.

She heard something like a moan that was clearly not the sound of the engine. There was also a sticking sound of something gluing itself to the window.

What could it be? Haruka tried to lift her head.

'Don’t look! Cover your face!’

Haruka’s shoulders jolted and she returned to her previous posture. Suddenly, something brushed Haruka’s neck.

What?

What just passed? She didn’t know.

Stick.

Something touched her cheek.

Cold. Very cold.

Ooooo.

She heard the moan again. What was happening?

She didn’t know.

No. I can’t stand this any longer –

Haruka lifted her head.

She saw the tunnel exit. There was a sharp curve there.

Yakumo was in a daze, as if he wasn’t looking forward at all.

'Watch out!’

She yelled immediately.

Gripping the wheel, Yakumo came back to his senses.

'Hold on!’ shouted Yakumo.

Hold on to what?

Before Haruka could ask, Yakumo slammed the brakes. The tires locked and let out white smoke as the car started to veer.

In the end, Haruka couldn’t find anywhere to hold on to and was swung about by the centrifugal force. Her cheek hit the side window hard.

This was the second time. Her vision went white.

She came back to reality with the smell of burning tires.

Yakumo was bent back on the driver’s seat, breathing deeply with his eyes closed.

The car had stopped after turning around so that it was facing the tunnel again.

It was just a few centimetres from the guard rail. It was a cliff ahead of that, with ten metres to the bottom.

They had narrowly escaped death.

'If you’re going to slam the brakes, tell me earlier,’ said Haruka, rubbing the cheek she had hit.

'Ask me earlier.’

'Why can’t you apologise honestly? There’s going to be a lump here.’

'I want you to be grateful that it’s just going to be a lump.’

Really, whatever this man said, it was always acerbic.

'Hey, was there something there?’

'Yeah.’

When Yakumo finished saying that, he made a U-turn and put the car by the side of the road. He got off the car.

Haruka followed him.

Yakumo went to the front of the car and pointed at the front glass.

’!’

Haruka was lost for words. Shudders crawled up from her toes to her head.

There were handprints on the car’s front glass, like somebody had touched it with their bare hand.

It wasn’t just one or two. There were handprints everywhere, with almost no cracks.

She had felt like something was there, but for there to be this many –

'At first, there was one person. A man in his thirties was on the car’s bonnet.’

Yakumo put his index finger to his brow and started talking.

'After that, more and more stuck to the car. It was like there were trying to stop me in the tunnel.’

'They made the handprints?’

The strength left Haruka’s body and she sank to the floor.

It made her think of zombies she’d seen in a late-night movie before. They had surrounded the protagonist’s car – an endless number of the dead.

'An amazing number of people have died in this tunnel.’

'Why – ’

'At first, they were probably just accidents. Then, the spirits that died but couldn’t rest in peace wandered here and caused the next accidents. Then the spirits that couldn’t rest in peace grew in number. A cycle of that. The dead call the dead, causing the same thing to happen endlessly.’

Hearing it was enough to make Haruka’s spine feel a chill. A chain of death.

'Hey, what are you going to do?’

At Haruka’s question, Yakumo slowly walked towards the tunnel.

'There’s nothing I can do.’

Yakumo said just that.

'Can’t you get them exorcised?’

'It’s pointless. That wouldn’t solve anything.’

'You said that before, but what do you mean?’

Yakumo smiled bitterly at Haruka’s question and ran a hand through his messy hair.

'I don’t believe in curses or exorcisms. It’s heresy. Chanting to get ghosts to leave and exorcising them – it’s really hard for me to believe in that.’

'To me, it’s just as hard to believe in your eye that can see ghosts, Yakumo-kun.’

'You’re mistaking spirits of the dead for something like demons.’

'What do you mean?’

'What do you think ghosts come from?’

It was a sudden question.

However, it wasn’t like she couldn’t answer. Naturally –

'Living people.’

'Correct. It’s not like they’re born from eggs or like they come from space. They were originally people with emotions. However, what do you think ghosts are?’

That was –

'I don’t know.’

'This is just my theory, but I think that they might be a cluster of the dead person’s wills and emotions.’

'Cluster?’

It didn’t really make sense to her.

'Human memory and emotion are said to be electric signals. Some people even say that the whirlpool of information flowing in the internet resembles the construction of the brain.’

'Really?’

She kind of understood, but she kind of didn’t –

'If you think that way, the moment human emotions lose their container, they don’t just all return to nothing, right? Electricity flows without a container, and the information on the net moves to another container once it loses its original. It wouldn’t be strange for the dead’s thoughts and feelings to wander.’

'That’s true.’

'It’s a theory I’ve made from my experience, so I wouldn’t be able to explain it scientifically if asked.’

'So they don’t have a physical body and exist just as emotions?’

'Well, something like that. If ghosts are just emotions, returning to exorcism, what effect would mediums chanting curses and performing exorcisms have on people’s emotions? I’ll say this again, but ghosts aren’t demons.’

Haruka kind of understood. Perhaps it was as Yakumo said.

Whether they were alive or dead, ghosts weren’t new living things. People didn’t become different life forms after dying.

They were still human.

'Let’s say mediums have amazing powers and can exorcise ghosts and send them to the underworld. But that ignores the people’s emotions – they would just be forcing them.’

'That’s true.’

'That’s the same as beating up people who don’t listen to make them submit. To put it clearly, it’s savage.’

It felt like he was a bit prejudiced, but Haruka could understand what he was saying.

Still, it was a bit unexpected that Yakumo saw ghosts as people.

The words Yakumo’s uncle had said came up in her mind. ’ His emotions are a little twisted’ –

It suddenly seemed funny to Haruka, making her laugh.

'What’s so funny?’

Yakumo’s brows furrowed in displeasure as he glared at her.

Ooh, scary.

Haruka hurriedly swallowed her laughter and decided to ask another question.

'Then how about with Miki?’

'I just restricted the spirit, found out the reason it was suffering and explained that to the spirit. In short, it was only persuasion.’

Haruka nodded a number of time in understanding.

Now that she thought about it, it was true.

Yakumo hadn’t done anything to Miki directly. By finding out the reason the female spirit that possessed her had died, she had taken away her fear.

As a result, he saved Miki.

'You said you saw a woman in front of the tunnel,’ Yakumo said suddenly.

With a sharp gaze, like a beast, he looked at the tunnel. There was a tension she’d never seen in his back.

'I did, but…’

'In her late twenties. A woman with long hair and a grey suit?’

Haruka recalled the scene in her head.

With blood flowing from her brow, a woman with long hair, standing there emotionlessly –

'That’s right, that’s the person. Do you see her?’

'She’s standing right in front of you.’

'Eh?’

Haruka looked around frantically, but she couldn’t see anything.

At the time, the woman was trying to express something, but I didn’t understand.

But if it’s Yakumo –

Yakumo slowly walked up to the guard rail and leant over it, looking down.

Was something down there? Haruka did the same, looking down.

On the sharp cliff, weeds and pine trees were growing wildly like a forest.

When she looked carefully, there was oversized rubbish there in the back of the forest, like refrigerators, televisions and bicycles.

It looked like people had used it as a dump because it was difficult to see from the road.

'Here…’ murmured Yakumo, jumping over the guard rail, gripping tree branches skilfully as he climbed down the cliff.

It was starting to grow dark.

The large entrance to the tunnel felt eerie.

It even felt like she might be sucked in.

It was getting harder to see Yakumo.

She didn’t want to be left behind here. Haruka climbed over the guard rail too and went after Yakumo.

She was naive.

It had been a much steeper cliff than it had seemed from above.

Haruka tried futilely to advance and lost her balance, practically rolling down the cliff.

Countless tree branches hit her arms and legs. It hurt, but she couldn’t stop. It was better than waiting alone. It was too late to regret now.

After getting down the cliff, she fell forward from the force.

It was like being hit hard in the knee. There was a jolt of pain.

She felt pathetic and wanted to cry.

When she held back her tears and looked up, she saw Yakumo holding out a hand in front of her.

She gripped the cold white hand and was pulled up.

'I told you to wait, didn’t I?’

'You didn’t say that!’

Haruka’s tone was rough because of the pain.

Haruka sat on a nearby rock and looked at the knee she had hit. Her jeans were ripped and she could see her knee clearly. The skin was broken and it was bloody.

'It hurts…’

The words slipped out of her mouth.

Yakumo went to stand in front of Haruka, knelt on one knee and pressed a handkerchief against Haruka’s knee.

'Hold it until the blood stops.’

She couldn’t say thank you.

'Explain why we came here so suddenly.’

Instead of gratitude, dissatisfaction came out of Haruka’s mouth.

Yakumo shook his head in exasperation and stood up. Then, he pointed at the ground a few metres ahead.

Haruka looked where Yakumo was pointing.

Her breath caught.

There was a woman in a grey suit lying face-up there.

Perhaps that woman –

Haruka didn’t have to check to know that the woman was dead.

The blood from her forehead was dark, sticking to her lifeless skin. What could her cloudy eyes see as they looked up at the sky?

'There was probably an accident on that road,’ said Yakumo.

How many days had she been here?

The woman must have shown up there wanting somebody to find her.

If I could see clearly like Yakumo, I could have found her sooner.

I’m sorry.

Haruka murmured that in her head and closed her eyes –

6

When Haruka went to Yakumo’s secret hiding place, there was the man she’d seen at the police precinct during the last case.

If she remembered correctly, he was a detective named Gotou.

He had a large frame with sharp eyes. It made Haruka think he could be a professional wrestler.

Yakumo had told her to come if she was interested because there was something he’d found out about the woman they found yesterday.

Haruka closed the door, thinking she could come again if he already had a guest.

'Great timing. Come in – I’ll explain.’

Yakumo urged her to sit, and Gotou pulled out the chair.

Now she couldn’t not go in.

Haruka sat next to Gotou. When she thought about how a detective was next to her, it made her a bit nervous.

'You’ve met Gotou-san before, right?’

Haruka nodded.

'Oi, Yakumo. Introduce me properly? I don’t know her name.’

Yakumo scratched his back, looking annoyed.

'She’s Ozawa-san.’

'Oi, oi, that’s all? There’s gotta be more, right?’

'Please ask her yourself afterwards.’

'Ah, what a cold guy, really. So what’s your given name?’

Gotou suddenly turned towards Haruka.

Though he had a full-faced smile, with the shadows under his eyes and his stubble, it was weird.

'Ah, it’s Haruka.’

'Oh? You’re too cute for Yakumo. So how’d you get to know each other?’

'Er…’

'I said afterwards, didn’t I?’

Yakumo cut the conversation down. Gotou muttered 'Stingy’ under his breath.

Haruka couldn’t tell how these two knew each other.

Gotou was a detective and was older than them.

Though Yakumo used polite language, his attitude made it clear he was making fun of Gotou. Gotou seemed to be talking to Yakumo as a friend.

'Now, introductions are done. Please start explaining.’

Yakumo urged Gotou to continue. So that’s how it was, thought Haruka.

Yakumo had set the time to make Gotou explain everything.

'Ah, that’s right. I almost forgot.’

Gotou completely ignored Yakumo’s acerbity and took a notebook out of his wrinkled shirt. He cleared his throat and started speaking.

'For the corpse of that woman, the cause of death was probably a brain contusion.’

'Was it murder?’ asked Yakumo.

'No. According to the coroner, the body had car paint and a light fragment on it – it’s clear that she was hit by a car.’

Gotou rubbed the stubble on his chin with his palm.

Haruka was bewildered. Gotou was talking about police information.

'E-excuse me. Is it OK to talk about this?’

Haruka interrupted without thinking.

Yakumo and Gotou looked at Haruka at the same time.

She hadn’t thought she’d said something strange, but that made her feel anxious. After a silence, Gotou continued like nothing had happened.

'So about the female victim, her bag and wallet – all the things we could get her identity from – were taken off of her.’

'Somebody hid her identity on purpose.’

Yakumo put a finger on his brow.

'Exactly. We found out her identity immediately from her dental records. The victim lived in a nearby residential area. Let’s call her A-ko-san. She was spotted leaving her office a couple days ago and went missing after that.’

'The search request?’

'Parents put it out. We got the parents to identify the corpse. A-ko-san’s parents were confused, but they said they wanted to thank the person who found their daughter.’

Gotou glanced at Yakumo, but he didn’t respond.

'And the culprit?’

'Ah, because of the fragments of the car, we figured out the type of car. It didn’t take that long.’

'So everything’s settled?’

'Man, it’s an awful story. The culprits were two middle school students who live on the same street as the victim, A-ko-san.’

'So they didn’t have a licence.’

'They were full of themselves, took the car for a spin, and hit her. They say they were driving like mad out of the tunnel 'cause they were being chased by ghosts, and they couldn’t turn the curve and hit the woman.’

'That story’s true.’

Haruka interrupted without thinking.

'I believe it too, but unfortunately, Japanese law doesn’t acknowledge the existence of ghosts.’

'Somebody’s dead. The existence of ghosts isn’t an excuse,’ said Yakumo, bringing the off-track conversation back on topic.

'How harsh.’

Gotou smiled wryly. He loosened the already loose tie around his neck and took out a cigarette from his inner pocket.

'I think you know.’

'I know. No smoking, right? I won’t light it. just gonna hold it in my mouth,’ said Gotou in irritation at Yakumo’s retort.

Gotou cleared his throat and started talking again.

'Well, putting aside those kids, their parents are the problem. After the two kids caused this incident, they got afraid and called their parents. And the parents…’

'Hid the incident,’ said Yakumo, biting his lip.

'Correct. They stole the wallet and bag and then tossed the corpse off the cliff…’

Haruka’s shoulders shuddered upon hearing Gotou’s words. She felt uncomfortable, like she would vomit.

They didn’t treat her like a human.

Throwing away a corpse. How cold could people be to protect themselves –

'Well, that’s the gist of it. Pretty much as you expected, Yakumo.’

Gotou concluded the story and clapped his notebook shut.

As expected? So Yakumo had seen through the whole case?

Haruka had just been confused, unable to see the truth ahead at all.

It even made her want to suspect that Yakumo’s eye couldn’t see just the spirits of the dead but the future as well.

'Ah, I forgot to say one thing. The car that caused the accident’s already been repaired. Seems like they requested some car shop somewhere, but there must’ve been a lot of blood.’

'They fixed it knowing it had hit a car.’

Yakumo finished Gotou’s words.

'Well, that’s it. We’re asking the parents now where that car shop was…’

It really was an unpleasant case.

However, there was something Haruka didn’t understand.

'So what will happen with Tatsuya-kun’s case?’

'Can’t go near that tunnel again if he doesn’t want to die,’ said Yakumo with a yawn.

Well, that was probably how it would be, but the uneasy feeling didn’t leave her chest…

7

Tatsuya was driving the car for the first time in a while, when he spotted the back of somebody unexpected on the hill leading to the university.

When he honked the horn, the person turned to look at him with sleepy eyes.

Saitou Yakumo. He’d embarrassed Tatsuya in front of Haruka earlier.

If he loitered around any more, to say it clearly, it’d be a hassle.

It’d be better to warn him here.

Tatsuya opened the car window and drove up to Yakumo.

'Thanks for earlier. I heard from Haruka-chan. I won’t go to that tunnel any more.’

Yakumo was clearly displeased as he continued to walk silently.

'Wait a second. I’m trying to thank you here.’

Tatsuya matched Yakumo’s pace and slowly drove the car as he spoke.

'You have no reason to thank me,’ said Yakumo, giving Tatsuya a glance.

He really didn’t like this guy. That thought came to Tatsuya again.

When those eyes looked at him, like they could see to the bottom of his heart, he just couldn’t relax.

'Don’t say that. I’m counting on you the next time something happens.’

'There’s no next time. Do something about it yourself.’

Tatsuya clicked his tongue.

'Don’t want to help your rival in love?’

'Are you talking to me?’

'Is there anybody besides you?’

'If you’re talking to me, you’ve missed the mark. I couldn’t care less about what the two of you do. I won’t get in your way or interfere, so do whatever you want. The reason I’m cold to you is because of a physiological dislike. Don’t read that much into it.’

Tatsuya somehow managed to restrain his growing anger.

'Got it. I’m going on a make-up date with Haruka-chan now. No complaints, right?’

'Do what you…’